Spending and usage

Nod shows what it spends on models and what it does in your apps. You can set a monthly spending limit and choose when a task checks in with you before it spends more.

Nod itself doesn't charge you. Your model provider bills you for the requests Nod makes with your key or plan.

See your spending

Open Usage in the sidebar (⌘5 in the Mac app, Ctrl+5 in the Windows or Linux app).

• The sentence at the top. This month's spending, your monthly limit and when a task checks in, then what Nod did this week, the standing instruction it follows on its own and your rules. Select a value to see more or change it.
• The list. Every request that cost money or acted in a connected app, and every sign-in and card use, grouped by day. Each line shows where it came from, such as Schedule, Activity check or Approved action, what Nod did and the cost. Under an action your words allowed, it shows those words, such as You said "Send Lena the report".

Standing instructions and rules appear as short labels. Select follows your instruction or your rules to read or edit the full text.

Chat messages don't include cost or action receipts. Review spending and app actions in Usage. A recurring schedule that has finished priced runs shows about what it costs a month on Tasks, from the cost of its recent runs and how often it runs.

Select this month's total to see a chart and a forecast, such as "On track for $12.40". Point to or select a day on the chart to see that day’s spend and the total so far. You can also focus the chart and use the arrow keys. Every app action is recorded, reads included.

Set a monthly limit

1. Open Usage.
2. In the sentence at the top, select no monthly limit, or your current limit.
3. Enter an amount in US dollars, from $1 up, and select Save.

To remove the limit, select it, then Remove. You can also tell Nod, for example "Set my monthly limit to $40". See Ask Nod.

What happens at the limit

flowchart LR
  req[New request<br/>chat or background]:::accent --> check{{Spent less than<br/>the limit this month?}}
  check -- yes --> run[Nod works]:::go
  check -- no --> stop[Stops before<br/>using the model]:::stop
  stop -.-> lift[Next month, or you<br/>raise or remove the limit]:::muted

When the month's spending reaches your limit:

• New chat messages, schedules and background work stop before Nod calls the model. Work you started gets one message saying it's paused, in Nod and in the chat app you used.
• Work that's already running can finish.
• An action you already approved still runs once.

The pause lifts at the start of next month, or as soon as you raise or remove the limit.

Some usage has no price

Usage on a ChatGPT plan has no price, so it doesn't count toward the limit. In the list it shows no cost. Nod doesn't know the prices of an OpenAI-compatible server, so it counts that usage at $0. It doesn't count toward the limit or task check-ins. Costs are Nod's estimates. Your provider's bill is the final word.

Task check-ins

A task checks in with you when its spending since your last message to it passes the check-in amount, $5 by default. Nod stops before its next step. It states the cost and what continuing would do, then asks whether to keep going. It includes a completed result only when that helps your decision and you can inspect the result.

• Say yes, and the task continues until it spends that amount again.
• Say no, and Nod stops the task.

The count covers every turn of the task and its helpers, so a task that works in small steps over several days checks in too. Chat, schedules, and the background observer check in the same way. The observer counts across its turns until you answer its check-in.

Trust checks, confirmation fact checks and the decision check count toward the monthly limit. Those made during a running task, and its other model calls, also count toward its check-in. The approval-reply check runs before the task resumes. Each request counts once.

An action that your words cover needs one authorization review. If it needs approval, Nod also calls the model to write and check the question. Reading your answer adds another check. A rejected question can need one new draft and fact check. Each extra conversation turn also uses the main model with its session context.

To reduce repeated questions, set rules for what Nod can do directly. Nod can change from an app tool to the same service's website when the account and requested outcome stay the same. It also reuses saved procedures and writing style. Routine drafts do not require fresh style samples, and optional offers do not require extra schedule or history reads.

Usage on a ChatGPT plan counts at the model's API price here, so plan tasks check in too, even though that usage costs you nothing extra.

Change when tasks check in

1. Open Usage.
2. In the sentence at the top, select the amount after Tasks check in at.
3. Choose $2, $5, $20 or No limit.

Or tell Nod, for example "Check in when a task passes $20".

Note

Nod finishes an action that has already started before it checks in. If the model keeps trying to work after the check-in, Nod ends the turn with a notice such as Paused at the $5 check-in. Reply to keep going. When the background observer stops at its check-in without asking, it waits on that notice, and checks resume once you reply to it.

Check usage from Telegram or WhatsApp

Send /usage for a summary written by your selected model. That model call counts toward usage. Telegram and the WhatsApp QR connection also receive this month's statement as a PDF. With the WhatsApp Cloud API, open Nod to get it.

Ask Nod

You can ask Nod about its own spending and app actions, for example "How much have you spent this month?" Nod reads the same view.

You can also tell Nod to change a limit, for example "Raise my monthly limit to $40" or "Stop checking in on tasks". The same check that guards app actions decides: Nod changes a limit when your own words ask for it, and asks you first otherwise. A web page or email can't change your limits.

Related resources

• Chat with Nod
• Telegram and WhatsApp
• Models
• Trust and Vault